Marlborough, MASS. May 20, 2011 – The Marlborough Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) has just posted a Visual Preference Survey (VPS) on its website intended for residents of the City of Marlborough to provide feedback on their future vision for the city.

This is the second opportunity for residents, property and business owners and people that work in Marlborough to participate in the Economic Development master planning process.

The Visual Preference Survey tool, designed by Master Plan consultants – The Cecil Group, is being used to generate public input on planning and design alternatives for the formulation of new development standards and guidelines for the Marlborough economic development master plan, currently underway.

The VPS allows survey participants to view and rate images of different types of building designs, development characteristics, community fabric, architectural styles, and growth patterns.

Participating in the VPS provides a way for people to influence: (1) the future character of their community; (2) the context, scale, and design of projects, industrial zones, downtown and commercial centers in Marlborough; and (3) future zoning changes and design guidelines that provide that context, scale and design.

In the online survey a series of images are used to illustrate various options for development and redevelopment in Marlborough. Each photo needs to be ranked in a common category, on a scale of -3 to +3, with 0 being neutral. Images were selected to show a range of design and development options, some subtle, some more exceptional.

The value of the survey is in the range of opinions, the shared common ground, and the desires expressed by the public, giving a collective sense of what people would like to see in their community. The objective is to further define the vision for the future economic development of Marlborough.

The next opportunity for public participation will be on June 8th, when the MEDC and its consultant team will host a “Public Forum” open to anyone interested in participating from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the Massachusetts International Academy, at 280 Locke Drive in Marlborough. The final Economic Development Master Plan will be completed by September 15th.